Chapter Ten

“Who are you?” The prince asked again. He was itching to know who this woman he felt so much attraction to was. There were no traces of her in any records. It was like she dropped from the sky. 

Maybe she did.

She looked like an angel. 

Aldric's eyes flickered once again to the black dress hugging her body. The moment he entered the hall and saw the dress, he wanted to take it off of her. The thought had surprised him because he was hardly ever interested in women in that way, and now they were seated in close proximity and talking, the dirty thought still lingered.

It was made for her. 

“As you said before, I seem harmless,” She replied in a sultry voice that made him want to take her lips in his. “That I am.” 

"Then?" 

Prince Aldric raised a brow in question or as a signal for her to continue.“I know this will sound crazy but I’m from the future.” She said lowering her eyes.

Prince Aldric was a bit taken aback by her answer but that was the only answer that made sense. It sounded nonsensical but it was the only answer that solved the puzzle. Considering the contents of her bag. 

He didn’t look through everything because he felt like it would be invading her privacy but he saw some weird things. 

After they arrested and took her out of his room that day, he found her bag inside his closet. At first, he thought of calling Darian to take it to her in prison but he opened it and saw the emblem of the moon and stars.

It was the sign he searched for all his life.

The signal meant a lot to him because it was supposed to lead him to his savior. And the Savior of the nation.

When he was a little boy, his family received a divination from a passing monk that he wasn’t destined to live long but it would only be possible if he met his savior. 

And that savior was supposed to have the emblem of the moon and stars.

In the first place, Aldric never wanted to put Thalia in prison but Darian insisted they follow protocol and investigate. He made sure they sped up the investigations and got her out after three days, otherwise, she would’ve had to spend months there just like the countless other cases. 

Even without seeing the moon and stars emblem, on the first day he saw her, he felt weirdly drawn to her. Not just sexual attraction, it also felt spiritual, it transcended this realm. 

And it bothered him. 

He knew it was silly to assume she was the person in the prophecy based on that fact alone and the emblem she had on her bag, but he intended to keep her with him and watch over her. If he was going to take the throne, he was going to make sure he saved the kingdom his brother fought so much to save, protect his family, loved ones and himself.

If she was who he thought she was, she’d save him eventually from whatever harm was supposed to cause his untimely death. And even if she didn't, he prayed she would save the kingdom from perishing.

 "You're from the future?"

Thalia watched Prince Aldric's expression change from confusion to bewilderment to acknowledgement, to disbelief as she explained her time travel story to him. 

"And that's how I ended up in your room. You know the rest."

He placed his elbows on the table bringing his intimidatingly handsome face even closer to her, "So you're saying you found a random book one day, and that book enabled you travel through time?" 

"Yes." 

"And you chose to travel here, to this particular time, nation, and you also chose my room as the location?" 

"I didn't choose the location, I just found myself there." 

"Okay." 

"So…" 

"I don't believe you," he said leaning back on his seat, "It sounds very plausible but I don't believe you."  His Adam apple bobbed up and down when he swallowed and Thalia did the same. "How is time travel possible?"

His words didn't match his countenance and his expression was telling something else. He believed her. Thalia didn't know how she knew, she just did. 

Thalia gave a sarcastic smile, "Well, I never expected you to, but it's the truth."

"Well, your truth isn't logical. While it may seem true because it explains how you have no records and how it seems as though you just dropped here from another world, time travel doesn't exist. How can it exist?" He asserted, still wearing the expression that told Thalia even he didn't believe his claim a hundred percent.

"If you give me my bag, I can show it to you."

"How?" He raised a deliciously perfecf brow, "will you take me to your world or something?" 

"I can show you the magic book at least,"

So drawn to the prince, Thalia's determination to escape was diminishing at a rapid pace. Also, going back to her world was the last thing she wanted now. There was nothing for her there except pain, trauma and fear. Three days have passed since she disappeared and her stepfather must be searching for her now. His face was the last thing she wanted to see. That's why despite how scary this place was, at least here, she could immerse herself in something that wasn't real.

The prince stared at her calculatively for a while like he was contemplating something. The air between them was charged with tension. He snapped his fingers all of a sudden and three maids came in. One of them was holding something wrapped in a gold silk cloth. The other two just followed behind her. 

They stood in the distance, and the prince snapped his fingers again and they came closer to stand beside them. He stretched out his hands and the maid with the wrapped cloth handed it to him. 

He gently dropped the bundle in front of Thalia and gestured for her to open it. An intricate knot was formed on top to secure the bundle and it took Thalia a while to untie the knot, but when she did she saw the familiar black leather material of her bag. 

For some reason, her heart warmed. Her bag was something that was familiar to her. Something that belonged to her. 

Prince Aldric signaled the maids to leave with a gentle flick of his hands.

Thalia searched through the contents of her large bag which was a lot and pulled out the book that brought her here. 

"Here it is," she stretched out her hand to hand him the book. His finger brushed against hers when he moved to collect it. That gentle but subtle touch sent shivers through her. 

Right when their fingers brushed against each other, his eyes met hers in a fleeting and intense stare that ended as quickly as it began. As short as it was Thalia felt drenched in tension. Every pore on her body was aware of him.

And wanted him.

Did he feel the attraction to her too? 

Or was she getting ahead of herself and expecting a Prince to feel some kind of attraction towards her? 

Thalia cleared her throat and adjusted in her seat, "This is it." 

"The book that brought you here," he said, turning it back and forth, inspecting it, "Hmm." 

Thalia noticed his fingers as he did that. 

Everything about this man was royal.

"What?" 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes I'm very sure," she said, "open the page and you'll see where I wrote the date and country name." 

To her dismay and surprise when he opened the book there wasn't even a sign of her writing on it, the first page was clear. 

"There's nothing here." 

Thalia panicked a bit but tried her best to gather her composure again. Her only evidence was gone.